Sachin–Jigar who previously scored music for Stree returned for the sequel,[1] with Amitabh Bhattacharya serving as a primary songwriter writing lyrics for all the songs with vocals performed by Madhubanti Bagchi, Divya Kumar, Vishal Mishra, Shilpa Rao, Pawan Singh, Varun Jain and Simran Choudhary.[2][3] At the film's trailer launch event on 17 July 2024, they revealed that like the predecessor, the album for Stree 2 would feature a diverse set of songs, including two romantic numbers, an all-boys dance number, and an item number, which was designed to appeal all sections of audience, like the soundtrack for the first film.[4]
Since the sequel continues from the events of the first film, he wanted to maintain the flavor of the same as both films are set in the same universe. They refrained from using the songs from the first film, to match with the aim of creating new songs and surprise the audiences.[5]
Development and production
The duo met Bhattacharya and Vijan during dinner and discuss about the songs that required for certain scenes, and Jigar jammed on a tune and beat after being requested on a specific number. Sachin then told Bhattacharya on composing a song for Tamannaah Bhatia's character Shama ("Aaj Ki Raat") and as she could sing an Urdu song from the place of Chanderi. With the aforementioned beat, the duo tuned a ghazal-type tune which was reminiscent of Ghulam Ali's compositions but also provided modern arrangements and chromatics so that they could "create something desi-cool or desi-modern" and more palatable to the listener.[6][7]
The duo further roped in regional singers, as "they bring a breath of fresh air" in contrast with the familiar voices heard in Hindi film music.[8] Bagchi was roped in to perform vocals for "Aaj Ki Raat"; the duo admitted that they repeatedly tried to fit her in most of the Hindi songs he had composed, and with "Aaj Ki Raat" it found to be a perfectly clicked. They recalled that "it was a combination of her voice, her performance, our luck, and everything else".[8]
Pawan Singh co-performed vocals for the song "Aayi Nai" whom was a last-minute call, according to the duo. The song, which they described it as "very desi" initially had Divya Kumar provided vocals for the song as he had a rooted nature. But, after recording, they needed a different type of voice to let the song resonate well amongst the audiences. A member from the music team recommended Singh's name, who had recorded its vocals on 30 July 2024, a day before the song was set to be released. The duo further applauded Vijan's creative freedom on supporting local artists.[8]
The duo recalled that "Khoobsurat" was the toughest song to be composed, as while the song had a indigenous melody, he wanted to make it Western without losing the flavor of it.[5]
Marketing and release
Stree 2's soundtrack featured four songs; all of them were released as singles. The first single "Aaj Ki Raat" was released on 24 July 2024.[9][10] The second song "Aayi Nai" was released on 31 July.[11][12] The romantic number "Tumhare Hi Rahenge Hum" was released as the third single on 6 August.[13] The final single "Khoobsurat" was released on 9 August,[14] along with the complete soundtrack which was released under the Saregama label.[15]
Anish Mohanty of Planet Bollywood summarized "Sachin-Jigar deliver yet another winner of a soundtrack for Maddock Films."[16] Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama wrote "The soundtrack of Stree 2 works quite well in totality. With a couple of dance numbers and a couple of love songs, it’s a short and sweet album which leaves a good impression."[17] Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times praised the music as it worked in favor of the film.[18] However, Dishya Sharma of News18 criticized the songs, saying that "The songs, unfortunately, don’t match up to those from the first Stree film; none have left a lasting impression."[19]
^Mohanty, Anish (10 August 2024). "Stree 2 Music Review". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
^Tuteja, Joginder (15 August 2024). "Stree 2 Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 25 August 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
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